A DECANAL FAMILY. 393 multitudinous intricacies of the carved work were sorely trying both to eye and finger; and I felt the task of faithfully copying them to be so arduous, that I had shrunk from it, and had left that sketch until the last. I was, unhappily, the slave of a fated programme, which could not be interfered with; and the inevitable time of departure had come, and with it, my last day at Roslin, and my last chance for sketching the interior of its wondrous Chapel. The drawing must be made now or never. Sorely did I repent that I had left it until a day when the hot sun had brought out the swarm of gadfly visitors: but regrets were too late; and I buckledto at my work in a state of artistic desperation, the while the guide walked his dreary round and took up his wondrous tale, and his recurring flocks distracted my attention, stood in my way, and looked over my drawing with that perfect freedom from bashfulness which distinguishes the British tourist. One old gentleman, in the orthodox black gaiters, shovel hat, and little-old-woman-cut-shorter apron of an English dean, was especially obtrusive, and could not have been more searchingly personal in his questions if I had been a minor canon of his cathedral, and had been hauled up before him for irreverently intoning on Z flat instead of F sharp. With him were three young ladies, whose hats were also somewhat of the shovel fashion, and whose manners were quite as Paul-Pryish as those of their estimable papa. They returned to me again and again to see how my sketch was progressing, were remarkably free in their criticisms and suggestions, Perspective,' by Mr. W. G. Herdman, of Liverpool, in which he illustrates his system by references to an outline drawing of the interior of Roslin Chapel, in painting which he says, that his attention was first awakened to the fact, that the present laws of perspective are not founded on our vision of nature.' and were so excessively curious to know whom I was, and whether I was an amateur or only an artist,' that I began to despair of getting rid of them unless I recited the history of my life after the manner of young Norval. If this interesting decanal family should see these pages, I trust that, if they recall their Roslin visit, their then curiosity may now be gratified. All that I can say is, that I was deeply thankful when the papa bustled up to his three daughters and said, 'I am afraid, my dears, we must be going. We have Hawthornden and Dalkeith to see before we get back to Edinburgh.' They were evidently hardworking tourists. And so they went, and left me to my work; and the sun was setting before I had put the last stroke to the foliage-bound Prentice Pillar. Much has been written of the architectural characteristics of Roslin Chapel; and Scott-ish sticklers for pure Gothic tell us many things to disparage our beautiful gem. It is such an eccentric production (they say); there is nothing of the legitimate Gothic about it; it is a mere barbarous nonentity-a mad medley of the baronial and ecclesiastical, with a snatch at all the developements of Gothic architecture in their various stages. It has no definite style; it is neither fish, flesh, fowl, nor good red herring; it is neither Roman, Saxon, Norman, Gothic, Saracenic, Tudor, nor Grecian. Look (say these dreadful purists) at its squat and stumpy form, and compare its structural features with the perfection of Melrose! Why, this Roslin is merely a pound-cake encrusted with rich devices-a stumpy Dutchwoman laden with jewels! Where (they ask triumphantly), where will you find at Roslin any cryptic decoration, as you do at Melrose? In Roslin, everything is intended for the eye; there is no silent COLERIDGE'S FIVE SIGHTS. 395 architectural homage to Him to whom the temple is reared-no sumptuous carved-work where it cannot be seen but by the closest scrutiny. Look, for example, at that ornamental band where it turns yonder corner! press yourself into that corner (you may do so with some little difficulty and squeezing), and you will perceive, that where the work is considered to be out of sight, there the decoration has ceased. Now, sir, I turn a deaf ear to your cui bono remark, and askWould your legitimate Gothic have done this? Of course, remonstrance and argument with such a purist are alike superfluous and useless; and we who admire Roslin as unhesitatingly as we would admire a rose, or a landscape, or a picture, or a beautiful woman, without casting about for any strict rules wherewith to fetter our admiration, are snubbed in our ecstasies, and are told to go to Melrose. Very well! let us go to Melrose by all means: but I, for my part, was glad that I had paid a visit to Melrose before I became acquainted with Roslin. The one may be pure and legitimate, and the other may be eccentric and florid; but, beautiful as was Melrose, I preferred its smaller rival-more especially when taken in connection with the Castle and the Glen. Coleridge pronounced the five finest sights in Scotland to be Edinburgh, the Fall of Foyers, Loch Lomond, the Trosachs, and the view of the Hebrides from Argyleshire; which leads me to believe that Coleridge never visited Roslin, or he would have added it to his list. * From the leads of the building on to which I mounted, there is (on a sunny summer's day) the most *This position is so excellent for a panoramic view that it was one of the places selected by the Ordnance Surveyors from which to make their observations. lovely view; in which respect, at any rate, everyone must allow that Roslin on the hill has the preeminence over Melrose in the plain. Hawthornden is a short distance to the left, embosomed in woods; the Glen lies beneath and before us; and the ruins of the Castle are just below us to the right. Let us pay them a visit. CHAPTER XXXIX. ROSLIN CASTLE. Early History of Roslin Castle-Stormy and Palmy Days— HE origin of the building of Roslin Castle, like the authorship of the ballad of Roslin Castle,' is not known. The first fortalice may perhaps have been built by 'the seemly' St. Clair, who came over with the Conqueror, and to whom, about the year 1100, a portion of the barony of Roslin was granted by Malcolm Canmore. But history is silent concerning the Castle until the reign of James II., when (in 1455) Sir William Hamilton was confined therein for engaging in the rebellion raised by Douglas against the King, but was soon after released and taken into the royal favour. When Henry VIII. was incensed against Scotland for the rupture of the marriage treaty between his son, the Prince Edward, and that infant Queen of Scots whose chubby face still smiles upon us from the copper bawbees' struck at her coronation, he invaded the country, destroyed Leith, burnt Craigmillar, and demolished Roslin. This was in |